Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training Program for Paraprofessionals - PROJECT ABSTRACT The Southern Illinois University (SIU) School of Medicine Center for Rural Health and Social Service Development (CRHSSD) is seeking $2,000,000 to implement a Certified Recovery Support Specialist (CRSS) training and apprenticeship program in rural, medically underserved communities (MUCs) throughout Illinois. The program, referred to as the CRSS Pathways program, will be a continuation of the CRSS training and apprenticeship program developed under FY21-25 BHWET para-professional program funding. The overall goal of the program is to expand community-based experiential training to increase the skills and knowledge of individuals preparing to become Certified Recovery Support Specialists. SIU will provide didactic and experiential learning through virtual, live, instructor-led training and use of telehealth and the ECHO (Extending Community Health Outcomes) platform to reach students, family members, and educators in rural communities throughout Illinois. SIU will work collaboratively with partners in rural communities to recruit diverse participants, provide training tools, and place program participants in the 16 apprenticeship sites approved by the US Dept. of Labor Office of Apprenticeship. Program Goals: 1. Improve the mental health & wellness of adults and children in rural, MUCs in Illinois. 2. Implement a state accredited CRSS training and apprenticeship program. 3. Develop a workforce pathway to recruit, retain, and train a diverse CRSS workforce. 4. Integrate CRSS’s into primary care settings to improve access to comprehensive care. 5. Further integrate the use of telehealth and the ECHO learning platform for education and patient care. 6. Expand access to services for limited English populations. Measurable Outcomes: 1. Accreditation of CRSS 128-hour training program 2. # of Level 1 Pre-service live instructor-led training sessions with accredited hours (32 sessions with 128 total hours) 3. # of Level 2 In-service ECHO training sessions with accredited hours (1 series, 20 sessions, 20 total hours); 4. # recruited to the Level 1 Pre-service training program (23 per cohort, 4 cohorts, 92 total); 5. # of participants who complete the Level 1 Pre-service training program (95%, 87 total); 6. # of partners hosting the apprenticeship program (17 apprenticeship partners); 7. # of participants that enter the Level 2 apprenticeship program (62%, 54 participants); 8. # of participants that complete the 144-hour training program (62%, 54 participants); 9. # of participants that complete the 2,000-hour apprenticeship program, become certified, and are placed in employment (62%, 54 participants) SIU is also seeking the Funding Priority 1: Role of the family of a person with lived experience, family-paraprofessional training and advocacy, and the Funding Preference Qualification 1: High rate for placing program completers in practice settings that have a principal focus of serving residents of medically underserved communities.
